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Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Tonight is my first photography class!! I'm soo excited, but a little nervous too! I will be sure to let you know everything that I learn...assuming I learn something :) I'm not the greatest at concentrating and class situations bore the mess out of me!! Hopefully it will be fun and hands-on!

Ohh and I just have to share this....

It's mine!!! Well, it will be when it arrives on my doorstep!! I am obsessed with Bokeh in pictures...bokeh is the luscious, magical, blurry background, seen in the pictures of the random small children below. A-MAZING!!!

So I did some research using my Nikon Cameras for Dummies book and realized you need to set your aperture very low to achieve this amazingness...sweet, no prob...except on the lenses I have the aperture only goes as low as 3.5...pickles!!! You can achieve a decent bokeh with 3.5...but not the lovely, ethereal, gorgeousness going on in the background of the above pics!

So guess what!?!?! After a bit of begging and hinting, I am getting the lens, the lens that has an f-stop of 1.8!! ...have I mentioned lately that i LOVE my Farmer?? Well, I do...very much...and not just because of the lens, but because he believes in me and other sappy stuff like that...ok ok I'm stopping with the mushiness now, hehe!! After all, how will I ever become a professional photographer without the right equipment!?!? And at least this one isn't the $400 dollar one I thought I needed to begin with!!! I may or may not have used those lines a time or two :)

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Katy at Tripping Down the Aisle, gave me the greatest idea!!! As she was giving me some advice for using my vases at Easter, I remembered that they look amazing with flowers, not just candles!!!

She also said that her Fiancée found a way to get to the candy too!! Boys will be boys :) So i decided to take the pumpkin filled one and use some fall leaves and ribbon instead of the black candle!! I placed it on a shelf with my other Fall Decor!! I LOVE it! Thanks for the inspiration Katy!!!

This is my other Fall-y Decorated side table!! God bless Hobby Lobby!!! :)

It is AMAZING!!! I didn't know something so simple could taste soo good!!!

huge!

yummy tomatoes!!!

all the layers!

smells and taste AMAZING!! I'm not even kidding, you must try this!!!

love it!!!

mmmmmmm :)

This is the other casserole recipe I found...it's not fab and I can't find the recipe online anymore so just don'tworry about it!! ha!! It does have shredded cheese, zucchini, butter and cream of mushroom soup!

It's ok...but doesn't hold a candle to the previous one!!! Headed to warm some up for lunch NOW!!! :)

Just got home from church and headed to The Farmer's Grandma's for brunch (I made muffins -pics to come!), but I just had to post some quick pics of my latest decoration! I finally got my candles done!! I picked up some original candy corn and the pumpkin version, dumped them in the sides of the vases that my Momma found to use for the wedding, and voila!!! Adorable!!! I even re-used the black candles we had in them for the wedding!!! Now I just need to figure out where to put them!! The Farmer was pretty excited when he saw me putting them together...I knew he was thinking CANDY JAR! But he can barely get his hand in, so I think they will be safe :)

Momma left me 8 of these vases after the wedding, so I'm gonna try to think of ideas for them for every holiday! I already have my eye on some cute, mini, pink and green Christmas balls and pink candles to use as soon as Thanksgiving is over!

p.s.

The game was SOOO fun!! I got popcorn and we won 44 to 14!! We are going to go to the next home game too...although I have a feeling we will need heavy blankets and coats for that one!!

Friday, September 25, 2009

It's a Save the Date magnet for my cousin Katherine's Louisiana wedding in March!! I can't wait! AND it is perfect timing for going South to see Brittany's baby too!

I'm not sure if I have shared this, but one of my besties (and bridesmaid) Brittany is having a baby mid-February! She finds out what it is on Monday! We are just dying to know so we can start buying gender specific baby stuff! I am throwing her a shower in December, when I am home for Christmas, so i can really get some things lined out once I find out the big news!!!

Well last night was very fun and I am way excited about being a 4-H leader!!

Tonight we are going to the Nighthawk's Homecoming game! I even found the perfect blue and gray shirt to wear to show my school spirit!! I haven't been to one of their games yet, but I was assured that there will be popcorn, so I'm on board!! GO NIGHTHAWKS!!!

Thursday, September 24, 2009

As every good Southern girl knows, you should always "bloom" where you're planted. So tonight I am headed to my first 4-h Leadership training, so I can be a group leader in our community! I'm soo excited!! I am going to be helping out the club in our town and a discover 4-H project for younger kids as well! 4-H was one of my favorite things growing up and part of my Masters program was in Agriculture Extension Education, so can't wait to officially be involved again! I'll let you know how tonight goes :)

I pledge my Head to clearer thinking,my Heart to greater loyalty,my Hands to larger service and my Health to better living,for my club, my community, my country, and my world.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

We got to Rapid City pretty late on Thursday night, perhaps it was the multiple stops to find the Pumpkin Spice Kisses? At any rate, we were tired!!!! We got a later start than expected on Friday, so we only had time to play tourists in Deadwood for a short while! The town is sooo fun and historical, and just in case you don't know what the heck Deadwood is check out this website! Western Historical figures, Wild Bill Hickock and Calamity Jane, are buried here, but Mariah and I already saw the grave sites when we previously visited the town, so the Farmer and I decided to just head to the Adams Museum! It was really neat, but I'm like my Daddy in that aspect and think every museum is neat!! We rushed through it, due to our time constraints but I still had time for some pics!!coming into town!Here I am with Calamity, these cutouts were the only part of the Museum I was "allowed" to photograph!

giving Wild Bill a peck on the cheek...well trying to anyway!

posing!

I thought with was too funny..I wonder if these cutouts are life size..what a tiny little man!

Soo i know I wasn't supposed to take pics but these hats were too fun to pass up! Plus, it was in the lower level and the Museum Lady had finally left us alone!

Hand bags! I didn't use a flash..that makes it ok, right?!?!

In town with a miner!!

I was in smooching mode that day!!! He was too tall as well!

I had to add this pic!! We saw it a gas station...I think these little trucks are the funniest things EVER!!! The Farmer always tell me he wants one..can you just see him puttering around the Farm in this thing!?!? That would be 10 times funnier than the skid loader!! Love it!!!

Check out my Website! Photography in Northwest, Iowa

Hey! I'm Hayley Mae (the Southern Belle). I'm from Mississippi but now live in Iowa, by way of Montana! I married my best friend (the Farmer) in August 09. I'm a Graphic Designer and Photographer in Northwest Iowa, check out my site (link below). Feel free to follow me on this journey of married life on the Farm!